


Digital Dragon

by Stratagem



Series: Resistance AU [6]
Category: The Gifted (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Mutant Underground, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 06:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13094346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stratagem/pseuds/Stratagem
Summary: The Mutant Underground members get to take a little break and play a video game.





	Digital Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own The Gifted!
> 
> Prompt fill for: 1: “If this is what i think it is we’re all going to die.” & 20: “You came back.”
> 
> Again, I’m pretty sure this is supposed to be angst, but I’m going to change it up a bit! I need the Mutant Underground characters to catch a break once in a while. I’m sticking this in the Resistance AU! Lorna is not around yet, and John and Clarice are pretty much still newly-weds

“If this is what I think it is, we’re all going to die.”

“Way to be melodramatic, Sage.”

“It’s medieval adventure game, I’m allowed to be melodram—watch out for its fire breath, don’t get killed.”

On screen, Clarice’s avatar barely dodged a massive fireball from the dragon their group was fighting. It was Saturday night, and most of the permanent Underground crew was enjoying the new toy that Marcos had brought home from a supply run. Someone in one of Atlanta’s higher-end suburbs had tossed out a barely-broken Wii Us, the newest version of the Wii system. Marcos had spotted it and nabbed it from the trash, and Forge had fixed it. Some of the refugees had been playing with the system, and now the more permanent residents were getting their turn.

Clarice was sprawled out on the couch. Her character was the swordswoman with high speedy stats and agility. Sage was sitting on floor in front of the couch, cross-legged and intense as she watched the screen they had devoted to the game console. She had the archer, so her character was farther away from the action, off behind some rocks.

Cattycorner to the couch, Shatter was sitting in an armchair, eating popcorn and watching the others play. He would’ve been playing along except they were down one controller.

John had broken one of the Wii controllers on accident when he got too into Wii fencing, and now Forge was off in his workshop, fixing it. John had promptly exiled himself from the fun by leaving and putting himself in a self-imposed timeout that Clarice would eventually have to rescue him from if he didn’t come back on his own. John was too hard on himself whenever he misjudged his strength, but Clarice knew that he wouldn’t come back immediately even if she went after him. So she let him have his space.

“We’re getting barbequed,” James said, “Do something useful for once, Marcos.”

Ali and James were laying on the floor in front of the screen, Ali playing the thief character while James played the heavy hitter. Marcos was the last one person in the game, and his character was a mage. It was also currently on fire.

“Shut up, I’m working on it,” Marcos said, furiously smashing buttons and waving his controller at the screen.

“I think it’s ironic that your character caught on fire,” Shatter said, tossing some popcorn into his mouth, “Considering…”

“I told you to watch out,” Sage said. Her character did a double flip through the air, shooting arrows at the same time. “Not that it matters, we’re screwed anyways.”

“Why did we come this way, Legolas?” Clarice asked, blocking a spray of lava breath. “Seriously, wasn’t there something else we could’ve done?”

“James wanted a quest,” Sage said, “This is one of the best ones, but there’s a 25% chance of getting the dragon when you accept it.”

“You didn’t say that,” James said. He nudged Ali and then gave her a light shove as her character went up in flames. She slid across the worn out rug, bumping into Shatter’s chair. “And now Ali’s dead! Come on, people!”

“Because you didn’t cover me,” she said, pushing up onto her elbows and then jumping at him, landing on his back. “You were supposed to be watching me when I went for the hoard!”

“Children, stop fighting,” Clarice said, rolling her eyes at their blatant flirting. “James, pay attention.”

“Tell Ali to let go of my hair,” James growled, glancing back over his shoulder at her as she tugged on his long brown hair.

“No, I’m putting it in a bun.”

“Not a man-bun, stop it.”

“You just don’t want to look like John. I feel like I need to let you know that you already do. But I’ll make it a big fluffy bun, okay.”

“Alison, you’re ruining it,” Sage said, making a face as her own character got trapped under a bunch of rocks that the dragon had dislodged.

“I’m pretty sure it was already ruined,” Marcos grumbled. He had tossed his controller to Shatter, who was going to play the mage character in the next round. In exchange, Marcos got the popcorn.

Clarice tossed her free hand up into the air as the dragon stomped James inactive character and promptly spat a huge lava loogie at her. “Great, and now I’m melting, thanks, guys.”

“I have to say, I don’t like the sound of that.”

Clarice looked over to see John standing at the edge of their sitting area, thumbs hooked into his jean pockets and a small smile on his face as he looked at their group. James and Ali were play-wrestling, the game forgotten, while Marcos and Shatter shared the popcorn with Sage. On-screen, all of their characters were experiencing agonizing pixelized deaths.

“You came back,” Clarice said, scooting over so there was more room on the couch. John walked over and sat down on the far end of the couch, pulling Clarice’s feet into his lap. He gave her mismatched socks an amused glance before looking at her, chagrin still lingering in his dark eyes.

“Forge is almost finished fixing the controller,” he said.

“It’s definitely your fault we all got killed off, Destruct-o,” James said, “If we had one more character, we might’ve lived.”

“Actually even with an extra character, our odds of survival in this scenario are only 7.5 percent,” Sage said, restarting the game. “But that’s a little better.”

“See?” James said.

Clarice glanced at John and once he met her eyes, she picked up a pillow and nodded toward James. Guessing her intent, John smirked and took the pillow from her, yanking his arm back. Clarice popped open a small portal right beside James’ head, and John hurled the pillow through the portal Clarice held in front of him. The pillow smacked against James’ head. James tried to throw it right back, but Clarice shifted and expanded her portal. He wound up hitting himself in the head again.

“Behave,” Clarice told her brother-in-law and she settled in next to John, ready to take on another digital dragon even as James fumed at her.


End file.
